Meet Amy Ryan of Amy Wonderland
Amy is a crazy talented lady that I’ve had the privilege of knowing now for over 3 years, and have had the great fortune to have worked with her on several collaborative themed projects. Her deep love of art has manifested itself in many different forms through the years. She named several things she’s enjoyed, get a load of all these skills: writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, styling makeup and hair, photography, stitching, knitting, crocheting, singing, trumpeting, and body modification. She says that for as long as she can remember she’s always adored making things with love and giving to others. And that she does…
I wanted to show you a small demonstration of one of our collaborative efforts several years ago. We did an Alice in Wonderland themed collection together. At the time I was working with perfumery. Here is a promotional banner which shows the fabulous hat Amy made and she wrote this awesome poem about our collection:
How cool is that? And look at that hat! Hey, I can rhyme too!
And speaking of hats, here are a couple that she’s designed recently. These are Fascinator Hats from her CMTA Collection:
There’s something else you should know about Amy. Amy is an amazing and giving person, and it goes way beyond her artistic abilities.
Amy bravely lives with a disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. She says, “It’s the most common disease you’ve never heard of. CMT is a hereditary motor and sensory neuromuscular disease which causes pain, loss of sensation, and death to muscles in the body. It can effect hands, arms, feet, legs, diaphragm (breathing), skeletal structure (scoliosis), memory, brain function and other parts of the body.”
And you know what? Instead of giving in, Amy works hard. Not only having the will to continue with her hat and bow making, but also donating at least 10% of her monthly gross income to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association’s STAR Research Fund. She says, “This fund works tirelessly; researching treatments and, hopefully one day, a cure. I smile knowing that every item I make for my Etsy shop is durable, beautiful, enjoyable, and supportive of a worthy cause. I currently sell hair accessories, and will be adding different items to my shop whenever I can. I sell a collection of blue and orange items, which are the official colors of the CMTA. 50% of the proceeds of those items go directly to the CMTA charity.”
Amy works towards raising awareness and money for the CMTA (cmtausa.org), and continues to be a super courageous person who, despite wearing leg braces every day, using a wheelchair to get around, and can only use her hands for short periods of time – does all she does! Such an inspiration… She is a loving wife, a superhero aunt, and a very loyal friend who has a giant heart (to be sure) and loves to smile and laugh.
It’s people like Amy that make this world go around much more beautifully, with her kind and warm spirit and gorgeous items that we can all wear and enjoy. I myself own beautiful designs made by Amy. Here is a collage of some of her recent hats and bows:
I truly hope you’ll stop by and see Amy. She is the most friendly person you’ll ever get a chance to meet. She also does custom orders, so drop her a line and tell her what you’d like to wear to brighten up your style and day.
You can find her online shop at: www.amywonderland.etsy.com
And her Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/AmyWonderland
It’s been a pleasure sharing Amy’s art with all of you, and I appreciate her sharing her personal story with us all.
To find out more about CMT, visit cmtausa.org
Till next time, Stay Wonderful!
Originally posted on Yum Factor 10, American Crafted.
Tea Time Shopping Guide 